"Lepus and the Ship"

“Lepus and the Ship,” pen & ink, 9” x 14”
Copyright Sara Light-Waller, 2015

For several months I’ve been noodling around with a new children’s book idea called A Patchwork Tale. I’ve written a third of the text in drabble format (linked 100 word mini-stories) and have done several art pieces both studies and more finished works. This is the newest piece, which brings the total number of book pieces up to nine — four color and five pen and ink. So I’m well on my way!

I envision A Patchwork Tale as a grand adventure story modeled after the gift books from the Golden Age of Illustration at the turn of the 20th Century. An ambitious project to be sure, but certainly one to be proud of.

P.S. As a note for pen & ink geeks like myself, many, many years ago I was given a large roll of linen-backed paper with a smooth surface perfect for pen & ink/drafting. Needless to say, I've held onto this gift and used it judiciously, well aware that there "'ain't no more" when I run out. I'm fairly certain that paper like this isn't made any more and even if it is, would be outrageously hard to come by. I used it for this piece and was reminded again of what a fabulous surface it is - moderately hard for the pen strokes, completely non-bleeding, and with the linen backing providing both structure and some give for the marks. Absolutely fabulous stuff! :-)

Study for The Ship

"Study for the Ship," casein 8" x 10"
Copyright, Sara Light-Waller, 2015

Today’s painting is a study for the space-going sailing ship in my story.

Smaller studies like this can be very helpful. They let you work out problems before getting into  a larger painting. For example, this galleon has a lot of parts, too many for clarity at its eventual small size. Viewers will want the IDEA of a galleon, with enough details to be accurate but not enough to be distracting. Through the process of drawing and painting this ship here, I've worked out what can stay and what details need to be either simplified or done away in the final painting.

I like the way the ship is looking here. It’s not overly-colored, allowing Space to be bright and colorful, which it is. LOL I still need designs for the pennants, but I'll figure that out soon. 

Next up… Canis Major.

New Years Wishes from Flying Pony Studios!

Wishing all my friends a very happy New Year, 2015!

Ah, the new year…there are always resolutions, aren’t there? And then you break them…So ultimately, no one bothers to make them anymore. But I’m going to do this year. My resolutions are as follows: to keep up with my painting, plein air and in studio, building up my skills as a watermedia painter. Also, I will be publishing a book (one of them that’s almost ready) and perhaps more than one in 2015! It’s been an intense couple of years of writing and illustration just to get here and now it’s time to bring it all home. *smile*

On that note…here are some of my most recent illustrations, created for my “Patchwork Tale” a series of mini-stories written as linked drabbles (100-word stories). I’ve got it (still in progress) posted on my other blog, www.saralightwaller.com/ in case you’d like to see something of my writing at long last. ha-ha!

 

"The Elfin-Queen and her Griffin," 8” x 10” pen & ink drawing

"The Elfin-Captain," 9” x 12” pen & ink drawing

“Clockmaker, the Sorceress,” WIP 9” x 12”

Have a great year everyone!

“Mrs. Bellweather inquired of Lucy”

This is my newest pen & ink composition, an illustration for a story yet to be written. Although it’s usually the story that comes first, sometimes things go the other way around. Especially when characters call out from the aethers, impatient for their moment on stage. Apparently, Lucy and Mrs. Bellweather are two of these characters, ready and eager to appear, even before their story is written.